SpaceEngine News

No issues detected in the Beta branch, so we're pushing the update to public! Here's the relevant news from the Beta post:

This month had a lot of extra catch-up between the usual exoplanet updates, more behind-the-scenes updates (as teased during our anniversary post in case you only read Steam notes), and the very exciting discovery of over a hundred more moons around our very own Saturn! Light reading and a list of the new moons can be found in this short NASA article.

The new moons are not easily findable with default settings. You will need to either use the Solar System Browser with Gas giant minor moons enabled (click the Gear in the left of the window), or use Find Object. Naming conventions are the same as the linked article, except with a space between the last letter/number (so S/2000 S3 becomes S/2000 S 3).

[h3]Changelog:[/h3]

• Updated small moons catalog with 128 new Saturn moons
  
• Updated binary asteroids catalog
  
• Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 17 new host stars and 28 new planets (listed below)
  
• Added basic descriptions to the Info tab of the Wiki for 409 asteroids
  
• Added LMC globular cluster NGC 1755
  
• Improved distances and sizes of some open clusters
  
• Disabled some phantom clusters
  
• Updated size and orientation of M 101 and added proper name (Pinwheel)
  
• Updated size of M 81
  
• Updated orientation of IC 1296
  
• Improved size and orientation of NGC 1211
  
• Tweaked distance to IC 2163
  

[h3]Catalog Additions:[/h3]

Hey folks!

This month had a lot of extra catch-up between the usual exoplanet updates, more behind-the-scenes updates (as teased during our anniversary post in case you only read Steam notes), and the very exciting discovery of over a hundred more moons around our very own Saturn! Light reading and a list of the new moons can be found in this short NASA article.

The new moons are not easily findable with default settings. You will need to either use the Solar System Browser with Gas giant minor moons enabled (click the Gear in the left of the window), or use Find Object. Naming conventions are the same as the linked article, except with a space between the last letter/number (so S/2000 S3 becomes S/2000 S 3).

The purpose of this beta is, as always, to catch any bugs that may pop up and give the community an opportunity to skim for errors we may have missed. The usual channels are always open on our Official Discord and the Troubleshooting and Bug Reports Discussion page here on Steam.

Additionally, we've seen some posts questioning catalog errors and/or how to report them. Simply put, they're inevitable. The catalogs are massive, and new entries get the bulk of our attention. Catalog errors and inaccuracies can be reported in the same channels as bugs, which are investigated and confirmed by the Support team, who pass it along for our astronomers to correct. If you can, include your source for the information that needs to be updated, as it makes it easier for Support to confirm and the fix to get in to the next patch!

[h3]Changelog:[/h3]

• Updated small moons catalog with 128 new Saturn moons
  
• Updated binary asteroids catalog
  
• Updated the exoplanet catalogs with 17 new host stars and 28 new planets (listed below)
  
• Added basic descriptions to the Info tab of the Wiki for 409 asteroids
  
• Added LMC globular cluster NGC 1755
  
• Improved distances and sizes of some open clusters
  
• Disabled some phantom clusters
  
• Updated size and orientation of M 101 and added proper name (Pinwheel)
  
• Updated size of M 81
  
• Updated orientation of IC 1296
  
• Improved size and orientation of NGC 1211
  
• Tweaked distance to IC 2163
  

[h3]Catalog Additions:[/h3]

Nothing major cropped up over the weekend, so we're clearing the Beta build for public release!

This update brings fixes for some known issues with temperature ranges, along with a healthy serving of new exoplanets. Also new with this set of patch notes, we're including the full list of Catalog updates to answer the question every user has asked: "Where to?". Feedback welcome as we know it makes a longer read.

Dr. Megan, our resident brown dwarf enthusiast, highlights two entries from the new additions: Gaia-4 b and Gaia-5 b!

"As their names suggest, these objects were discovered with the Gaia space observatory. Launched in 2013, Gaia was designed for astrometry: the precise measurement of the positions and distances of stars. Exoplanets and other stellar companions can leave distinct footprints in astrometric data; as these objects progress along their orbits, gravitational forces tug at the host star, and it wobbles around the system’s centre of mass. This results in the star following a corkscrew-like motion across the sky. When the host star is small and the orbiting body is large (like a massive planet or brown dwarf), these motions are larger, and easier to detect, as in the case of Gaia-4 b and Gaia-5 b. Gaia-4 b is a super-Jupiter, about 12 times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting an early-M or late-K dwarf star. Gaia-5 b is a brown dwarf with a mass of about 21 times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting a mid-M dwarf star. But just because massive planets orbiting smaller stars leave larger footprints, doesn’t mean they are very common! Smaller stars typically host smaller (and often more numerous!) exoplanets than larger stars. To find such a large planet and a brown dwarf-sized object orbiting these small stars is very unusual!"

[h3]Changelog:[/h3]

• Fixed a bug where Solar System Browser temperatures were not updating unless the planet was selected.
  
• Improved the equator-to-pole temperature range when Tmin/Tmax are set in catalogs/editor.
  
• Fixed a bug where temperatures were scaled inversely with distance to their parent star in binary systems with a catalog/editor temperature override.
  
• Fixed acceleration for units mph, kn, and c being displayed as mph², kn², and c² instead of /sec.
  
• Fixed a bug where the star browser filter "moon/exotic life biome: any" was not applying.
  
• Enabled the Camera Velocity Vector Marker in Flight Simulator mode.
  
• Assorted corrections to catalog inaccuracies
  

[h3]Catalog Additions:[/h3]

• EPIC 201595106 c/K2-360 c
  
• Gaia-4 b
  
• Gaia-5 b (Brown dwarf candidate)
  
• HIP 56998 b/HD 101581 b
  
• HIP 56998 c/HD 101581 c
  
• HD 20794 f
  
• HD 73344 c
  
• HD 73344 d
  
• HD 86728 b
  
• KMT-2021-BLG-2609L b
  
• KMT-2022-BLG-0303L b
  
• KMT-2022-BLG-2286L b
  
• KMT-2023-BLG-1743L b
  
• KMT-2024-BLG-1044L b
  
• TOI-1295 b
  
• TOI-2580 b
  
• TOI-406 c
  
• TOI-4504 b
  
• TOI-4504 c
  
• TOI-4504 d
  
• TOI-4994 b
  
• TOI-5108 b
  
• TOI-5688 A b
  
• TOI-5786 b
  
• TOI-6016 b
  
• TOI-6038 A b
  
• TOI-6130 b
  
• TOI-6383 A b
  
• WASP-132 d
  

Hey folks!

This Beta brings various fixes that will require testing before moving to public. Items we really want to ensure are working are highlighted in bold! We're also experimenting with a small format change to patch notes to better communicate new catalog additions, and would like feedback in this thread.

As usual, you can find the Beta branch by right-clicking SpaceEngine in your library, selecting properties, and Betas. Issues and inaccuracies should be reported in Troubleshooting and Bug Reports on Steam or #bug-reports on Discord!

[h3]Changelog:[/h3]

• Fixed a bug where Solar System Browser temperatures were not updating unless the planet was selected.
  
• Improved the equator-to-pole temperature range when Tmin/Tmax are set in catalogs/editor.
  
• Fixed a bug where temperatures were scaled inversely with distance to their parent star in binary systems with a catalog/editor temperature override.
• Fixed acceleration for units mph, kn, and c being displayed as mph², kn², and c² instead of /sec.
  
• Fixed a bug where the star browser filter "moon/exotic life biome: any" was not applying.
  
• Enabled the Camera Velocity Vector Marker in Flight Simulator mode.
• Assorted corrections to catalog inaccuracies
  

[h3]Catalog Additions:[/h3]

• EPIC 201595106 c/K2-360 c
  
• Gaia-4 b
  
• Gaia-5 b (Brown dwarf candidate)
  
• HIP 56998 b/HD 101581 b
  
• HIP 56998 c/HD 101581 c
  
• HD 20794 f
  
• HD 73344 c
  
• HD 73344 d
  
• HD 86728 b
  
• KMT-2021-BLG-2609L b
  
• KMT-2022-BLG-0303L b
  
• KMT-2022-BLG-2286L b
  
• KMT-2023-BLG-1743L b
  
• KMT-2024-BLG-1044L b
  
• TOI-1295 b
  
• TOI-2580 b
  
• TOI-406 c
  
• TOI-4504 b
  
• TOI-4504 c
  
• TOI-4504 d
  
• TOI-4994 b
  
• TOI-5108 b
  
• TOI-5688 A b
  
• TOI-5786 b
  
• TOI-6016 b
  
• TOI-6038 A b
  
• TOI-6130 b
  
• TOI-6383 A b
  
• WASP-132 d
  

SpaceEngine has always held true as both a scientific tool and chill exploration sim. Users can pick it up and put it down as long as desired with no save points or time pressure, like a malleable atlas of the universe in a digital library.

So long as your place of learning or leisure has a computer network, it can have SpaceEngine through Steam PC Café! We've lowered the cost of a commercial license to just $9.99 a month and a single copy of the program.


[h3]How does this work?[/h3]

• This is meant for cybercafés, school computer labs, and other commercial shared computer arrangements
  
• The base price to start a new license is $29.99 USD, like buying a copy of the game for one terminal in your network
  
• Afterward, license upkeep is $9.99 USD a month per seat
  
• Licenses are managed through Steam PC Café. See https://partner.steamgames.com/pccafe for more info
  

[h3]How is this different from PRO?[/h3]

The two are completely different products:

• SpaceEngine PRO is specifically for individuals like content creators and designers who want to use SE as part of their own product (like using screenshots for making HD posters to sell online).
  
• Café licenses allow "Patrons of your venue [to] be able to log in with their personal Steam account, view the game licenses that you offer through their Steam library and have the option to 'check them out' temporarily while in your establishment." (Taken from https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/sitelicense/licensees/gettingstarted)